The term “funnyman” is likely to come to mind about Paul Rudd, whose success has been heavily rooted in his well-known comedic roles in films such as “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” “Role Models” and “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.”

In a career twist, Rudd’s latest project is adding a different entry to his resume — superhero.

Having grown up equal parts diehard Pittsburgh Steelers fan and Steve Martin wannabe, Rudd would never have pictured himself portraying the title role in “Ant-Man,” the latest addition to the Marvel “Avengers” roster.

“I liked comics OK,” Rudd said. “I was never obsessive about them, and a lot of the ones that I got into the most were not superhero comics.”

Although he grew up in the United States, Rudd was born to British parents. He recalled his relatives sending him comics from England.

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“My cousin was really into these British comics called the Beano and the Dandy, so I used to read those a lot,” he said. “But I was never into comics enough to know who Ant-Man was before this movie started.”

The Peyton Reed-directed “Ant-Man” is set in San Francisco and introduces skilled thief Scott Lang (Rudd), who is recruited to become the new Ant-Man by the original hero of the comic, Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas).

With a suit giving him the ability to shrink himself, utilize superhuman strength and control armies of ants, Lang/Ant-Man must help Pym in his quest to keep the secret technology behind the powerful suit out of the wrong hands.

Although Rudd was filming in the Bay Area for a little moer than a week last year, he made the most of his free time, taking in the first San Francisco 49ers preseason game against the Denver Broncos.

“Dwight Clark was sitting by us,” Rudd said. “My son is a huge football fan. He knew who he was and all about ‘the Catch.’ Dwight came over and drew out the play and gave it to my son. It was so cool, I kind of didn’t want him to have it and wanted to keep it for myself.”

One aspect of playing a superhero that set it apart from other roles for Rudd was the physical preparation.

“I liked having a focus and the routine, and the time before we started shooting to really push myself, and I got caught up in it,” he said. “To wake up very early and immediately want to go exercise, that was new for me. My whole day became about training, and that was cool.”

In addition to starring in the film, Rudd was brought on to be a part of the writing team, which also included Edgar Wright (”Shaun of the Dead”), Joe Cornish (”The Adventures of Tintin”) and Adam McKay (”Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy”).

Writing “Ant-Man”was new and exciting territory for Rudd.

“I had never written anything in this genre, so that was a challenge,” said Rudd, whose writing credits include “Role Models” (2008) and the 2009 TV series “Party Down.” “I don’t know how great at it I am, but thankfully Adam McKay, who is great at it, came on board and the two of us got to write together.”

Rudd and McKay worked together on both “Anchorman” films. Rudd describes his and McKay’s collaboration as “very organic.”

“To kind of lock ourselves away for a couple of months and focus on story and character and have it not be a comedy was really gratifying.”

The process also shifted the dynamic for Rudd’s acting in the film.

“You know what’s going on in the mind of every single character,” Rudd said. “To be so immersed in the world and in the characters, it makes the acting of it easier. You know who you’re playing.”

Rudd often follows his comedic instincts or established collaborations with filmmakers such as Judd Apatow when choosing his roles, but he said he tries not to limit himself. He took on a dramatic role in the 2013 independent film “All Is Bright,” which coincidentally shares a theme with “Ant-Man” — a father’s journey to better himself for the sake of his daughter.

However, Rudd said he doesn’t intentionally seek out common threads in his work.

“There’s nothing I think about thematically,” Rudd said. “I read something, and if it lands with me emotionally or it’s something that I think is really interesting, then I want to do it. If there are commonalities or times when (a theme) repeats itself, clearly that means it means something to me, and I’m responding to that, sometimes even on a subconscious level.”

The fact that his “Ant-Man” character is a devoted father hits home for Rudd, father of son Jack, 10, and daughter Darby, 5.

“I could relate to this character and the love he has for his child; any parent, I think, could,” Rudd said. “That dynamic was always there in the comics. But things like trying to be the hero that your daughter already thinks that you are, that kind of stuff is easy to write when you have a daughter. You want to live up to that ideal.”

One of the most rewarding things about becoming Ant-Man is being able to share it with his children, who are thrilled to have a superhero dad, now on and off camera.

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“It’s the first time I’ve ever experienced that kind of thing with my kids in a job; normally they don’t see anything that I do,” Rudd said, “Normally I keep it separate. I have my work life and I have my life life.

“But there has been a lot of overlap with this one, and they’re really psyched.”